Maryland begins gun turn-in program Saturday

Guns collected on Saturday by the Montgomery County Sheriff\'s Office will be melted down. (Photo courtesy of Montgomery County Sheriff\'s Office)

WASHINGTON – Weeks after Maryland lawmakers passed toughened gun-control measures, turn-in programs are being held in Montgomery County and statewide on Saturday to collect unwanted weapons and ammunition.

“Any Marylander who has a gun that is no longer wanted will be able get rid of it safely, no questions asked,” Attorney General Doug Gansler said.

Gun turn-in locations can be found in 20 counties. Owners do not need to turn in the weapon in the county where they live.

Montgomery County will “take long rifles. We’ll take shotguns. We’ll take handguns of any type,” says State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

Weapons and bullets can be turned in between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Public Safety Headquarters in Gaithersburg, the Montgomery County Fairgrounds and the East County Regional Services Center in Silver Spring.

“We will ultimately melt [guns] down and destroy them, so they’re not available to be used in criminal activity,” McCarthy says.

Montgomery County Sheriff Darren Popkin says people have various reasons for wanting to relinquish a gun.

“It could be a spouse passed away,” Popkin says. “It could be someone who has a gun in their house, but doesn’t know how to rid themself of it and make their house safer.”

For each gun turned in, a donation will be made the University of Maryland’s R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center.